NHL notes: Yzerman takes St. Louis off the market

Tampa Bay Lightning's Steven Stamkos (L) celebrates his goal with teammate Martin St. Louis during the second period of their NHL hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens in Tampa, Florida, March 9, 2013. (REUTERS/Mike Carlson)

QMI Agency

Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman made it abundantly clear on Friday that St. Louis, who’s averaging more than a point per game this season, is going nowhere ahead of next week’s trade deadline.

"Marty St. Louis is not going to be traded," Yzerman told ESPN. "He remains one of the best players in the league and an extremely important player to our team, both on and off the ice.

Despite St. Louis having two remaining seasons on a four-year, $22.5 million deal he inked in 2011, rumours surfaced that his Florida club might be looking to move the 14-year pro by next Wednesday.

“We are a team in transition," Yzerman explained. "We just made a coaching change, Marty is one of the leaders of the team, he is not going anywhere."

YET ANOTHER COYOTES INVESTOR

On Thursday, it was AltaCorp Capital chairman and CEO George Gosbee who was reported to be interested in purchasing the ownerless Phoenix Coyotes.

Now, it’s Darin Pastor, founder and CEO of a wealth management firm and the latest potential buyer to throw his name into the mixer.

"Hockey is in my DNA," Pastor said in a release.

The Pastor family owned the Buffalo Bisons until the club ceased operations in 1970 shortly after the National Hockey League expanded into upstate New York.

"My family has enjoyed a love affair with the sport for over three generations,” Pastor said. "When we saw the prospect to get involved with the NHL and purchase the Coyotes, it was like a dream come true."

The release goes on to state that a group headed by Pastor has formed an exploratory committee in an effort to acquire the Coyotes and keep them in Glendale.

CROSBY NOT CONCERNED WITH WIN MARK

After helping the Penguins trounce the Winnipeg Jets Thursday night in Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby was nonchalant when asked to comment on his team’s rather remarkable winning streak.

Having won 14 consecutive games dating back to the final day of February, the Penguins are three wins away from matching their own NHL record 17 consecutive wins, a mark they set in 1993.

"We're just trying to get better, we know there are things we can improve on,” said Crosby, who leads the NHL with 56 points, 12 ahead of teammate Chris Kunitz, who sits second.

The record winning streak hadn’t been approached until the Washington Capitals won 14 straight in 2010.

After the 1993 Penguins, the New York Islanders have the second-longest run, winning 15 straight in 1982.

BRIEFLY: Calgary Flames head coach Bob Harley announced Friday he’ll hold off in selecting a captain to replace Jarome Iginla. Hartley said he plans to go with a rotation of three assistant captains … Defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky is close to signing a new deal with the New York Islanders, according to Newsday. The 36-year-old has nine points in 22 games this season after attempting to see out the lockout-shortened season with KHL side HC Slovan Bratislava … Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen could miss Sunday afternoon’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Franzen left Thursday’s 2-0 loss to the San Jose Sharks before the finish with a lower-body injury. "Obviously, he couldn't play in the third (period Thursday),” Wings head coach Mike Babcock told the Detroit Free Press. “We'll see what happens. It was serious enough to leave the game” … In other Wings news, Detroit announced Friday it secured college free-agent defencman Dan Dekeyser (Western Michigan) to a two-year deal. Dekeyser, who will begin practicing with the Wings Saturday, won’t play in either of the club’s next two games … The Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers swapped prospects Friday. The ‘Yotes received Tobias Rieder, a German winger currently with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, while the Oilers received WHL forward Kale Kessy.